


Held Breath

by panchostokes (badwolfrun)



Series: Prompt Fics [97]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Could be platonic or shippy based on your point of view, Drabble, Episode: s02e04 X-Ray + Penny, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/pseuds/panchostokes
Summary: An alternate path for the ending of X-Ray + Penny, in which Jack leaves to hunt down Murdoc himself
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Prompt Fics [97]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540795
Comments: 11
Kudos: 15





	Held Breath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flowing_river](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowing_river/gifts).



> for river, who sent for the prompt "I don’t want to lose you.” with Mac and Jack

_“I can tell when I'm not wanted. Au revoir, s'il vous plaît, and all that nonsense.”_

The punchline was that Jack, of course, had quite a good understanding of French. Wasn’t his strongest language, but he had plenty of missions in the country and it was his sorry attempt at humor as he sauntered away, keeping one eye trained on his periphery, waiting for Mac to appear behind him with the sullen admission, “you were right.”

But that didn’t happen. And he kept walking. 

They thought they were past it. The harsh word spoken on both ends in a rare _fight_ between the two men, who had their casual bouts of bickering, playful and not so playful jabs and stings that would be mended later over six beers and a pizza. An apology on both of their parts was actually attempted before the abduction that brought out even more of the monster underneath the skin suit of Jack Dalton, and the resolution of their mission of the week had made it seem that they would walk away from their overturned vehicle unscathed and reunited as if they had never fought.

If only it were that easy.

Jack was the one turned upside down, but it was Mac who feels the hazy vertigo in their recovery, as Jack is uncharacteristically silent in an unraveled rage trembling his skin, clenching his jaw--if he hadn’t shaved his head already, Mac would be certain that he would have torn the soft-hawked tufts out from his skull as a primal scream when they learn that they lost track of Murdoc escapes his lips, and brings out the longest, most vulgar rant he had ever heard from the man, ending with five words that Mac never thought he would hear, arranged in a particular order that he never thought Jack was capable of saying, and shattering Mac’s entire world in the process:

_“This is it. I’m out.”_

He leaves everyone speechless as he locks onto each of their eyes as he says it.

Yet he can’t meet Mac’s.

“Jack, please--” Mac reaches out, grabbing Jack’s stiffened shoulder which tightens into an tangled knot beneath his fingers before the man twists around, almost appalled that Mac would even make the move to touch him after all they’ve said and done to each other.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Mac gulps down the stone coated apple bobbing in his throat, the painful feat of spoken words prickling the corner of his eyes. 

“Me either. Which is why I have to go. We can’t let this happen again. He needs to be _stopped.”_

“We’ll stop him together--”

Jack turns away, shakes his head. 

“You would have stopped him already, if you could,” Jack mutters under his breath, so low that only Mac can hear. “I don’t think you want to.”

“What I _want_ is you, Jack. _Jack!”_

Jack leaves the War Room, but stays on the warpath, closing every door behind him, putting every barrier he can between him and Angus Macgyver. 

He can only hope that when he comes back with Murdoc’s head clutched in his fist, that Mac will still be there waiting for him.

But he’s not holding his breath.

He hasn’t since Paris.


End file.
